North Broward Prep wins first district championship since 2003
COCONUT CREEK, FLORIDA – The North Broward Prep Eagles defeated the Somerset Canyons Cougars, 72-51, to win the 4A District 13 championship. Junior wing Enrico Borio led the way with 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Eagles. The victory gave North Broward Prep its first district title since 2003.
The Eagles extended a seven-point halftime advantage into a 13-point lead after three quarters behind Borio’s 21 second half points. North Broward Prep also received a strong effort from senior Alex Wigginton with 16 points and five rebounds. The 6-foot-3 forward’s athleticism and power off the dribble opened up looks at the basket.
Freshman guard Junxi Yang also continued to show his potential with 13 points. The Eagles’ length and size around the rim seemingly had an answer for every Somerset Canyons field goal, especially over the final two quarters.
“It was a lot of fun,” said North Broward Prep head coach Casey Wohlleb. “There were a lot of guys in that game that stepped up and played with great energy and made great plays. Guys stuck together. I’m really proud not only of the win but how we won.
"Hats off to Somerset Canyons. They are a really talented team and their coach has done a really good job over there. Alex is an experienced guy. We talked about it the other day. I think he’s 46-10 in his career here. He plays with great energy. He mixes it up. He makes the right plays. He has one thing on his mind and that’s winning. Also, Enrico especially tonight. We have been talking to him about a couple of different things and how effective he could be if he gets around the rim and plays off two feet. He was special tonight. I think everybody got to see how dynamic he could be.”
This was the second meeting between North Broward Prep and Somerset Canyons this season. The Eagles defeated the Cougars 58-44 back on December 15th. North Broward Prep and Somerset Canyons were the top two seeds, respectively, in District 4A-13.
Eighth grader Cayden Daughtry led the Cougars with 23 points, including 17 in the second half. The 5-foot-9 point guard led off the 3rd quarter with a long 3-pointer and kept Somerset Canyons in the game with his aggressive shooting early in the second half. Daughtry would finish with 12 points in the third quarter alone. He came into the game averaging a team-best 21.2 points per game for Somerset Canyons. Senior shooting guard Damien Thompson chipped in with eight of his 10 points in the second half for the Cougars.
While Daughtry gave the Cougars a third quarter punch, the Eagles countered with Borio’s work off the dribble and scoring ability down low. The 6-foot-8 wing had multiple efficient looks near the basket and scored off putback attempts. Borio also rejected two shots and limited Somerset Canyons to single possessions with his rebounding ability. His athletic versatility also allowed him to bring the ball up the floor and score from the perimeter, especially from the corners of the floor. Borio came into the game averaging 10.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
“I feel like we played really good,” said Borio. “We played as a team and I really stepped up. This is my first year playing here in America. I come from Brazil so my first year winning something is great.”